KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — A quick search for Sekolah Kebangsaan Danau Perdana in Taman Desa will bring up results describing it as an abandoned property, a migrant workers’ "temporary accommodation,” and even "haunted”.

The school has been abandoned since 2001, according to Save Taman Desa Coalition spokesman Philip Phang, who says it highlights the township’s lack of enhanced infrastructure despite its growing population.

"There has been so much development here, but all these have failed to take into account enhanced infrastructure,” Phang told Malay Mail.

"When we talk about enhanced infrastructure, the first thing we’re looking at is public transportation,” he added.

For a 50-year-old township, Phang noted that Taman Desa still relies on only one bus service — bus number 650 — and an MRT shuttle — bus number 586.

At the same time, the township is in need of proper bus stands, he said, pointing to a nearby MRT feeder bus stand in Jalan Desa Utama during a recent visit.

"Have you seen the bus stands that are just poles? At the very least put a seat with a roof, especially with the Malaysian weather where it’s hot and rainy all year round,” the long-time Taman Desa resident said.

The 59-year-old who was the Parent-Teacher Association chairman of SK Danau Perdana when the school was built, recalls its history of problems

"The project started in 1995, under the government’s efforts to build smart schools, but it was delayed and finally completed in 2001.

"But one year after the students moved in, cracks started appearing on the school’s structure,” he said.

He claimed the cracks were caused by the construction of the nearby Stormwater Management And Road Tunnel (SMART).

He said that when the SMART was first built, the existing storm tunnel pond in Taman Desa was drained, which caused the water table to drop and decreased pressure in the soil, causing the ground to compress more and increased the risk of it sinking or settling.

Lowering the water table and increasing soil settlement could make the ground less stable for future construction, potentially leading to foundation problems like uneven settling or structural damage to buildings if the soil compresses too much under the weight of the new construction.

Phang said that the poor construction of the school coupled with the unstable ground caused structural cracks to the building, and consequently, the students had to move into the nearby SK Taman Desa Perdana.

"I know because my son was in the school,” he said.

Phang questioned why the government or Kuala Lumpur City Hall has not taken back the land to build a transportation hub or food court.

"We don’t need an international school here, we need a transportation hub and with that, you can take away 400 people using their own private vehicles off the road from between 7am to 8am,” he said.

He noted that the nearest MRT station – which will be the future MRT3 Circle Line — will be on Old Klang Road, supposedly opposite the existing wet market, but the project is slated to complete only in 2032, eight years away.

Phang said that Taman Desa’s population density has increased, with the original population per acre ratio of 100 now growing rapidly.

"We understand that more people need more affordable housing, but you also need to think about the existing infrastructure whether it can withstand the potential addition of 10,000 people,” he said.

He suggested that a proper food court could be built at the site of an abandoned playground opposite the Shell petrol station, which would help reduce the number of roadside stalls that emerged during the pandemic.

The existing food court is located next to the under-construction 40-storey Kensho Residence — itself adjacent to the Shell petrol station, for at least 16 years and appears in need of upgrading.

"This food court is currently sitting on a piece of land that was designated for a police station.

"The land where Kensho Residence is on — was proposed as a transportation hub in the Taman Danau Desa Plan in the 1990s and was later supported by the Draft Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020, which underwent many changes and was only approved in 2021,” he said.

Phang pointed out that in Singapore, every Housing and Development Board flat has a food court, emphasising the importance of proper facilities.

Taman Desa’s population was recorded at 36,029 in 2020, but Seputeh MP Teresa Kok has said that this number is expected to rise to 70,000 in the next five years.

Phang stressed that with this surge in population, Taman Desa urgently needs a proper police station, as the existing one is too small to serve the growing community.

"Right now, the police station we have is very small. But it seems like, instead of enhancing it, they are taking it away?” he questioned.

Phang was referring to Kok’s recent call for the government to halt a deal involving police reserve land in Taman Desa, which would be sold to make way for flats.

Kok, in a statement, urged the government to return the police reserve land to the Home Ministry for a new police station to accommodate the rapid population growth.

She noted that the Home Ministry and the police opposed selling the reserve land, as they plan to develop the Brickfields Police Station there.

Phang agreed with Kok, saying, "the land is just too small” for such a crucial development.

"We do not want to be rolled back on the reforms, otherwise it will end up as ‘same actions but just under different actors,’” he said.

"People are not happy in Taman Desa. The roads itself are full of potholes, here’s all the problems and then you put another 10,000 people here without any infrastructure upgrades.

"We just cannot brain that, it doesn’t make sense,” he said, expressed frustration over the lack of accountability in the development projects taking place in Taman Desa.